After my biopsy, I realized my life insurance didn't meet all my needs

The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate life insurance products to write unbiased product reviews.

• When my dad died, I realized life insurance was a priority, but it doesn't cover everything I need.
• I found an insurance policy that will cover me if I get cancer that covers a wide range of expenses.
• My plan covers the cost of preventive coverage and treatment in case of a diagnosis.

Cancer has never been something I have wanted to think much about. I knew cancer diagnoses happened every day, but I stayed willfully naive in thinking that it wasn't something that would touch my life. Then, my dad was diagnosed with and died because of pancreatic cancer.

I was suddenly faced with the grief that comes with losing a loved one while also grappling with a lack of insurance for my dad's end-of-life expenses. 

After that ordeal, I decided to up my life insurance to ensure that my family wouldn't face the same troubles if I died unexpectedly. It was important to me that — on top of paying funeral costs — my life insurance policy also covered our home's mortgage.

I realized I didn't feel ready for a worst-case scenario

After shopping around and finding a plan that worked for me, I felt prepared enough to forget about life insurance. However, an emergency hernia surgery exposed hidden health concerns that made me reassess my coverage.

I had developed an umbilical hernia that needed immediate surgery to avoid more damage. The operation was pretty uneventful, and life went back to normal soon after.

During a routine appointment with my rheumatologist a few months later, I got a concerning surprise. In reviewing scans from before my surgery, my rheumatologist spotted an unexpected irregularity. The scans suggested that I might have lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that affects the immune system.

What followed was two months of scans, blood tests, biopsies, meetings with oncologists, and overwhelming anxiety. In my need to plan for the worst, I looked into my life insurance and bumped it up to $500,000, but I still felt unprepared for a cancer diagnosis. I started planning for the worst-case scenario, but I feared that no matter what I did, it wouldn't be enough to put me at ease.

After a long, stressful process, I finally got my results back. My biopsy thankfully came back cancer-free! However, my good news also came with some bad. I learned that the inflammation to my lymph nodes that showed up on my scans was due to my chronic autoimmune disease. And, because of that chronic inflammation, my chances of one day developing lymphoma are twice as likely as someone without an autoimmune disease. Even though I'm currently cancer-free, an increased likelihood of cancer looms ahead in my future, and I refuse to be caught unawares yet again.

Getting cancer insurance

It was through my life insurance research that I found exactly what I needed to feel prepared should I have to face cancer head-on. Some insurance companies offer cancer insurance, which covers several costs associated with cancer treatment and pays out a set amount to the policyholder to help cover these expenses. I signed up for cancer insurance with Aflac.

At the start of my insurance journey, I was only really familiar with health and life insurance, so I was surprised to find supplemental life insurance that specifically footed the bill for costs related to cancer. Unlike critical illness insurance, cancer insurance only covers costs associated with cancer. Still, the more I learned, the more I realized that cancer insurance was exactly what I needed to ease my concerns about preparing for the worst.

Just like any major disease, there are costs associated with cancer. Expenses for tests and treatments, loss of wages because of illness, and travel costs for medical care are just some of the extra financial penalties that follow cancer patients. This surprise expense sometimes keeps cancer patients from getting the care and treatment they need. A plan that helps me cover these expenses in the event that I develop cancer is a godsend.

My policy covers me even before a diagnosis

With the cancer insurance plan through Aflac, support is offered even before a diagnosis. The plan pays out funds to be used for preventive coverage in the form of tests, scans, and biopsies that are designed to detect cancer early on. There is also coverage payout for preventive surgery associated with positive genetic test results.

Additionally, the plan offers an initial payout in the case of a cancer diagnosis and offers funds to pay for a second opinion if desired. Ambulance rides, lodging, and transportation are also considered in the plan, offering compensation for these costs as well.

While different health insurance plans offer different treatment coverages, Aflac's cancer insurance offers supplemental coverage that covers several treatment options. From radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy to stem cell and bone marrow transplants, there's no lack of care options.

There's also coverage for life after cancer, with funds that can be used for reconstructive surgery, prosthetics, and reproductive services. In the unfortunate case of a terminal diagnosis, my policy also covers home healthcare, private nurse services, and hospice care.